SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Adam Wilson, Co-founder of swipe-to-bet mobile app Bookee, said that his enterprise is in a healthy condition and will return to business once the start-up finds a new platform provider.
Bookee has been forced to cease UK operations following the decision by its platform supplier EveryMatrix to terminate its B2C licences for remote betting and casino services.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) had enforced that EveryMatrix suspend its white-label services, undertaking a compliance review of its ‘customer interaction frameworks’ in-line with section 18.2 of the Gambling Act 2005.
This Wednesday, Bookee notified its customers that it had been forced to cease its UK operations due to EveryMatrix’s B2C termination.
The abrupt closure would see Adam Wilson publish an open statement on LinkedIn underlining Bookee’s proven credentials within the online betting sector.
“This note is not to drum up sympathy, but rather to raise awareness that white label agreements come with a certain amount of freedom whilst also providing a distinct lack of control,” he wrote.
“We built a brand from scratch on a shoestring budget and went from taking micro stakes to over £20m in bets staked over a 3 year period. In that time we won 3 awards, saw 100s of thousands of bets placed, and over 15million bet cards were swiped!”
Launched in November 2016, Bookee’s aim is to unpack clustered wagering markets through simplified customer engagements and bet type referrals delivered through its mobile app.
Despite the setback, Wilson states that “Bookee will be back, perhaps in a different guise, but it will be back!”
Concluding the update on a positive note, Bookee’s Co-founder reveals that start-up will be launching a new product within the coming months, stating: “It’s awesome. We can’t wait to share it with the world.”
